Written by
The Honorable James Brainard, Mayor
City of Carmel

          Mayor Jim Brainard is Carmel's first five-term mayor. During that time, Carmel has grown in population from 32,000 to more than 80,000. Park land, greenspace and trails have increased. The creation of an Arts & Design District and a new downtown called City Center have helped create a vibrant thriving city where companies want to locate, where employees want to live and where families want to raise their children. Mayor Brainard is frequently asked to speak around the world about city planning, redevelopment and roadway networks.

          Mayor Brainard spearheaded the redevelopment in the Old Town area of Carmel into an Arts & Design District, which has transformed a much neglected original center of town into a thriving district with galleries, restaurants, shops and community events attracting thousands of visitors each year and the attention of the national and international media.

          As part of the City Center project to create a downtown for Carmel, Mayor Brainard incorporated world-class cultural and entertainment venues. The Center for the Performing Arts in City Center includes the Palladium, a state-of-the-art, 1,600-seat concert hall, the Tarkington, a 500-seat proscenium theater and the 200-seat Studio Theater. Mayor Brainard was also successful in gaining the talent of Michael Feinstein as the Artistic Director for the Center as well as integrating Feinstein's Foundation for the Preservation for the Great American Songbook into the cultural options at the Center. All of these venues, including an outdoor amphitheater named Rotary Centennial Plaza, opened in 2011.

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